Empa researchers extract nanocellulose from beer brewing waste to produce aerogel

In Switzerland, Empa researchers have extracted nanocellulose from a waste product of beer brewing and processed it into an aerogel. The high-quality biodegradable material could be used in food packaging.

It all starts with the mash: the mixture of malt and water, which is stirred and gently heated for several hours. The resulting liquid is known as the wort, and eventually, several processing steps later, as beer. The remaining malt – known as brewer’s spent grain – has a much less glamorous path ahead of it. It usually ends up as animal feed or on the compost heap.

Researchers from Empa’s Cellulose and Wood Materials laboratory, are looking for ways to valorize this residue. They have developed a process to produce high-quality nanocellulose from brewery waste – a versatile biodegradable raw material that can be processed, for example, into packaging materials or fiber-reinforced polymers. The researchers published their findings in the journal ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering.